Fuel tank shell with structural support

a technology of structural support and fuel tank shell, which is applied in the direction of tank vehicles, transportation and packaging, transportation items, etc., can solve the problems of reducing the total mass of the tank, enabling a reduction in the thickness of the entire tank shell, and no teaching of positioning such supports in localized areas of the tank shell

Active Publication Date: 2009-07-30
SPECTRA PREMIUM MOBILITY SOLUTIONS CANADA LTD +1
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a fuel tank assembly for attachment to a vehicle body. The fuel tank assembly comprises a fuel tank shell for containing fuel and a support member mounted to the tank shell along a direction substantially normal to a longitudinal

Problems solved by technology

However, there is no teaching of positioning such supports in localized areas of the tank shell, which are subjected to heavier levels of pressure and deflection.
Still, when local

Method used

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  • Fuel tank shell with structural support
  • Fuel tank shell with structural support
  • Fuel tank shell with structural support

Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0020]The present invention is illustrated in further details by the following non-limiting examples.

[0021]Referring to FIGS. 1a and 1b, and in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a fuel tank assembly generally referred to using the reference numeral 10, will now be described. The fuel tank assembly 10 is illustratively mounted to a vehicle body 12 (shown in an upside-down configuration). The tank assembly 10 comprises a shell, which may be formed of two halves, illustratively a top half shell 14 and a bottom half shell 16 having a substantially triangular cross-section, which may comprise a flanged border 11 providing a contact area for connecting the shells 14, 16 to one another. Alternatively, the shells 14, 16, which may be made of a metallic material (e.g. steel), may be flangeless and persons skilled in the art will thus understand that various methods of manufacturing an equivalent tank assembly according to the present invention may be used t...

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Abstract

A fuel tank assembly for vehicles comprising a fuel tank shell having reduced wall thickness, accordingly resulting in a reduced total mass of the tank assembly. The fuel tank shell comprises two half shells connected to one another and having at least one support member attached thereto for providing structural support to the fuel tank shell. In particular, the support member may be positioned internally or externally to the fuel tank with such a positioning being selected so as to offer support in at least one area where the stress level exerted on the fuel tank shell is maximum.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 024,239, filed on Jan. 29, 2008 and which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a fuel tank assembly. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a fuel tank assembly for vehicles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]With recent environmental legislation, vehicle fuel economy has become a great concern. An effective way of reducing fuel consumption is to decrease the mass of vehicular components.[0004]The fuel tank is a component which must meet a certain vehicle durability requirement. To reduce fuel tank mass, its thickness can be diminished but not to the expense of its ability to meet the durability requirement. Therefore, there is a need to find a way of decreasing the mass of the fuel tank assembly while maintaining the rigidity of its structure.[0005]Currently, the stresses in...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): B60K15/067
CPCB60K15/03B60K2015/0775B60K2015/0344B60K15/067
Inventor SCHOEN, DOUGMARENTETTE, TODDFONTAINE, STEVEBORGHI, CORYOLGREN, DOUGMENEC, LESLIECHURCH, MARK
Owner SPECTRA PREMIUM MOBILITY SOLUTIONS CANADA LTD
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